You may have been one of the lucky ones to have recently received a fabulous free plant from us at Ambius in order to celebrate National Plants at Work Week, or maybe you were already lucky to have a plant on your desk at work. Either way you will want to know how best to look after your green friend so that you get the most benefit from them and they live a nice, long happy life.

To help you out, here are some tips on how to get the most out of your desk plants:

1. If you’re situated by the window and have direct sunlight on your desk, then it’s best to go with a plant that will relish such environments – such as cacti or succulents.
2. Don’t over-water your plants – over-watering kills many more plants than under-watering. Most plants benefit from allowing the soil to dry out a little between each watering, so don’t swamp them. Also, over-watered plants tend to attract annoying little flies, called fungus gnats.
3. Water your plants from above and put saucers under them to allow excess water to drain away. Generally plants will need watering more during their growing seasons – spring and summer – and much less during winter.
4. Keep your plant at comfortable temperatures (18-23 degrees), avoid keeping it near air vents, radiators, and other hot spot/draft areas.
5. Don’t go nabbing soil from your neighbours flower bed as outdoor soil is just too dense for many potted plants, and may contain weed seeds. Instead, pick up some decent potting compost – available from all good gardening retailers.
6. If your plant starts to show signs it’s growing, you will need to supply it with a little fertiliser to allow it to continue its growth – but don’t overdo it.
7. When your plant reaches its teenage years and starts listening to rap music, you will need to re-pot it to a bigger home – else it’ll only tell you how much it hates you.

Hopefully you’ve taken in some of these tips on keeping your desk plant healthy and vibrant… On the other hand you might have read this and decided to go with a plastic plant instead. Either way we hope you enjoy your striking new desktop display!